Unison as Free, Ad-Supported Version

The commercial unified communication solution Unison is now available in a free, "sponsor-supported" version whose revenue comes from embedded advertising.

The Unison software suite unites mail, telephony, IM, calendar and directory services. The server side runs under Linux, the desktop client runs under Windows XP or Vista and a native Linux version that is currently still in beta. An online demo and trial download of the client are available.

The new sponsor-supported version drops all license fees of the commercial product. However, users still retain full Unison functionality and unrestricted client license privileges. In the bargain they have to reckon with embedded advertising in the client and administrative interface. (The Opera browser, for example, has used this model in the past.) The Unison Technologies website provides visual examples.

At the same time, Unison assures users that the sponsored version will share only statistical data with its sponsors and will adhere to strict privacy principles. Information about individuals, organizations and user content is not stored and would not be passed on to the sponsors.

The free, ad-supported version is available now for download. Users who wish to remove the sponsor ads can purchase a subsequent paid license.

Unison is a groupware product first presented at Cebit 2008 that combines PBX telephony, a groupware server, instant messaging and directory services with its own Windows client. An online trial version is available for anyone interested in the product.

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